News & Pubs Archive

Circuit courts cannot place moving restrictions on divorced individuals with young children, so long as the ex-spouse does not move outside the state or move more than 150 miles away, according to a recent decision by a state appeals court.

Nov. 8, 2013 – Interested in what other lawyers billed for their services in 2012? How to maximize your profits? How to accept credit card payments through your iPhone? How to stop underearning? You’ll learn about all these things and more in the November Wisconsin Lawyer, now available online and in mailboxes soon.

When a municipal body makes a decision about a liquor license that is up for judicial review, the circuit court may not review the decision independently, de novo, according to a unanimous decision of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

An investigative reporter who uncovered criminal records of school bus drivers in Milwaukee and highlighted one drivers’ prior prostitution conviction in a news broadcast did not violate her privacy rights, a state appeals court has ruled.

A federal law that protects an organization’s right to use land for religious purposes does not save a proposed lakeside Bible camp, which recently lost an appeal to circumvent land use laws that prohibit year-round recreational activities.

Residents of the Village of Brown Deer recently lost their appeal to get compensated for street improvement projects they say will impact their properties, while a state appeals court upheld the constitutionality of the “unrecorded highways” statute.

The excess liability insurers for a Coca-Cola subsidiary named in more than 200,000 asbestos-related lawsuits since the 1980s must pay defense and indemnity costs “simultaneously,” not in sequence, a state appeals court has ruled.

A Wisconsin village that includes tribal land held in trust by the U.S. government cannot assess municipal taxes against the Indian tribe, a federal appeals court has ruled, and the village cannot make the United States pay either.

A school district must reinstate a fired teacher and pay her lost wages and benefits, an appeals court has ruled, despite the school district’s argument that restrictions on collective bargaining by public employees barred that result.

Oct. 25, 2013 – Did you know a free, comprehensive handbook will soon be available to help Wisconsin solo lawyers plan for death, disability, or incapacitation? It’s one of the many tips lawyers are learning at the 2013 Wisconsin Solo and Small Firm Conference.

Convicted of felony murder and sentenced to 60 years in prison, Charles Hennings maintains his innocence. And he wants taxpayers to pay for a DNA test that might prove someone else committed the crime for which he’s doing time.

An investigative TV reporter caught wind of a potential scam: a wedding videographer who took money from couples and did not deliver as promised. Recently, a state appeals court ruled the reporter did not defame the videographer in subsequent broadcasts shedding light on the situation.

Amidst a government shutdown, federal courts are hoping rainy day funds will last through the end of this week, and the federal district and bankruptcy courts in Wisconsin have issued directives to explain what will happen after that.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has added five new cases to its docket, one involving state negligence claims against a railroad whose train collided with a mini-van during a Memorial Day parade in the Village of Elm Grove, a Milwaukee suburb.

In a case involving a police officer who ran a red light, causing an accident, the Wisconsin Supreme Court could decide how far governmental immunity goes to protect police departments and officers from liability for injuries.

State Bar of Wisconsin President Patrick J. Fiedler joined presidents of state bar associations in Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Nevada and Florida this week to urge members of their respective Congressional delegations to end devastating cuts to federal court funding.

The enjoyment of a decorative water fountain in a hospital lobby was not considered “consumption,” a state appeals court has ruled, despite the water fountain builder’s best efforts to make that argument for purposes of insurance coverage.